Orthodontic appliance



E. H. ANGLE ORTHODONTIC APPLIANCE June 22 i926.

Filed Dec, l5. 1925 ZSheets-Sheet June 22 g 1926.

E. H. ANGLE oRTHoDoNTIc APPLIANCE Filed Dec. l5, 1925 `2 Sheets-Sheet 2 46 am. @5% m f Patented .lime 223i, i926.

EDVJARD H. ANGLE, 0F IPASADENA, CALFORNIA.

ORTHODONTIG APPLANCE.

Application filed December 15, 1925. Serial No. 75,503.

My invention is applicable to the art of correcting` the position oi malposed teeth oi the dental arch, and particularly relates to that class ot devices in which an arch-bar is adjustably supported at its opposite termi nals by anchorages clamped to suitably disposed posterior teeth or molars, and is espef cially directed to the means by which said arch-bar is connected, intermediate of' its ends, with selected teeth ot the dental arch.

The principal objects oi: my invention are to provide a tooth engaging band with an arch-bar attaching bracket of such proportions and of such reduced bulk, or size, as to ailord a minimum interference with the lips and cheeks, whereby a consequent lessening oi discomfort and inconvenience to the wearer is eit'ected.

@ther objects oit my invention are to provide the tooth-band with a bracket that is so constructed and arranged as to aitord such a reinforcement tor said band to require no supplemental stii'lening or thickening of the tooth-band as has been commonly employed.

My invention comprehends an arch-bar attaching bracket, the construction of which is ideally adapted to be conveniently soldered to the 'tooth-band, vand atlords such a convenient attachment that the arch-bar may be readily engaged therewith.

Further objects ot my invention are to provide a toothband with bracket having means cooperative to so firmly lock an archbar therein as to insure the iirm, accurate and positive movements or' either the crown or root ot a tooth in any desired direction, and thereby so Ia-cilitate the cooperative ac tion of the arch-bar that it may readily e'li'cct the movement ot teeth lingually, l.- bially and buccally, or they may be rotated or tipped transversely with respect to their aires, and may be as readily forced laterally in the direction ot the length of the archbar with equal accuracy of movement.

The iorm of my invention as hereinafter described, comprises a. tooth-band provided with a bracket Mformed oi wire, shaped into the torni oi' a double-looped staple having the adjacent legs joined to aii'ord a. recess or slot opening outwardly and arranged to receive an arch-bar snugly iitted therein, the loops of the staple heads forming spaced apertures disposed upon opposite sides ot said arch-bar recess, and arranged to aii'ordV eyes or guides through which the ends of a looped ligature, 'forming a retaining lock, may :be passed and so twisted as to draw the ligature loop taut about the arch-bar and thereby firmly lock it in its recess in said bracket.

My invention also includes all of the various novel features ot construction and arrangement as hereinafter more deinitely specitied.

ln the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an inverted plan view oit the upper human dental arch, showing a convenient embodiment of my 'invention attached to selected teeth ci said dental arch; Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of one of the tooth attachments ycomprising a tooth-band extended in a plane and an arch-bar attaching bracket, constructed according to my invention, attached thereto; Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of the tooth attachment shown in Fig. 2; Fig. lis a transverse sectional view ot said tooth attachment, taken on the line r--e in 2 and 3; Fig. 5 is a greatly enlarged perspective view oi the bracket per se, which is shown attached to the tooth-band in 2, 3 and Ll; Fig. 6 is another greatly enlarged perspective View oit the bracket per se, which is shown in F lbut so positioned as to show the attaching surfaces which are arranged to engage the tooth-band; Fig. is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view ot the formed tooth-band with its arch-bar attaching bracket secured thereto; Fig. 8 is a perspecitve View similar to Fig. 7, but showing a fragment Iot the arch-bar operatively engaged in the attaching bracket; F 9 is a perspective view similar to 8, but showing the wire ligature forming the lock, looped. over the arch-bar, and its ends passed through the eyes forming guiding yapertures in the attaching bracket and extended t-here` from in alinenient with said apertures and in position to effect the drawing ot the loop taut; Fig. l() is a perspective view similar in Fig. 9, but showing the tree ends ot the looped Wire ligature drawn bz'rckwa-rdly to form loop retaining bends therein; Fig. ll is a perspective view similar to Fig. l0, but showing the free ends ot the looped wire ligature twisted to exert tension on the loop and thereby so rigidly lock the arch-bar as to prevent its relative movement with respect to the bracket; Fig. l2 is a perspective view similar to Fig. l1, but showing the twisted ends of the wire ligature clipped oii, leaving the laterally bent projecting ends of the tit) Cil

Wire ligature to hold the loop under tension; Fig. 13 is a perspective View of the looped Wire ligature in the Jiorm best adapted to be conveniently engaged with the bracket; and Fig. 1l is a perspective view of the Wire ligature loch per se, in its ultimate forni as shown in Fig. 12, to retain the arch-bar in locked engagement With the bracket.

The tooth regulating appliance to which this invention is especially applicable is indicated in a general Way in 1, and includes together With associated parte, an arch-bar 1 bent to substantially conform to the dental arch and having its extremities provided with tangs 2 and extended through anchor sheaths '3, with which said tangs may be engaged to retain the arch-bar l in adj usted position, and which are carried by the 1 anchor-bands 5, of Well knownconstruction As shown in Fig. 1, the anchor hands 5 `are attached to the first molar teeth 6,

which serve as anchor abutments yupon `opposite sides oi the dental arch, said bands being providedwvith an eye 7 at one end, and at the other end, a threaded stem ei;-

tended through said eye and arranged to be adjusted therein by the nut 9 to clamp the band 5 upon said abutment teeth 6, as is obvious. i

The gist of my invention resides in the means ot securing the arch-bar l to the malposed teeth 10 inthe dental arch, and comprises the tooth-bnnd 11 and its arclrbar attaching bracket 18, shown in Figs. 2 and 3 in its initial 'form extended in a plane, and arranged to be cut to the length desired as indicated by the transverse dot-andeda sh lines or the` oblique dash lines thereon shown, and formed into the tooth embracing ring as shown by the circular dotanddash lines as indicated in Fig. 2.

As best shown inFigs. ll, 5 and 6. the bracket 13 is formed of Wire, bent to torni a double looped staple having the adjacent legs 15 and 1G of the respective loops 17 and 1S' joined by the connecting bar 1,9, which, as best shown in Fig. G, may preferably be flattened to afford an attaching surface 2O in a plane with the gend surfaces 21 and 22 ot the outer legs 23 and Q4 respectively of the brachen 13, of which surfaces 20, 21 and 22 are arranged to be engaged with the surface of the tooth-band and be soldered thereto as shown. p

The wire bracket thus termed provides a deeply depressed recess 25 which in eect vatlords a slot extending transversely through thebraeliet in parallel relation to the length of the tooth-band 11, and the connecting bar 19 may be so 'flattened as to ai'ord but a relatively thin Web, sullicient only to in-' sure the required rigidity, yet permitting thearch-bar to so closelyl approach the' tooth-bandv 11 astoconserve sjiacea'ndthereby minimize the extent of progection of the regulating appliance from the teeth in the mouth of the. patient.

The stable loops 17 and 18 of the bracket 13 aliord elongated eyes or guides 30 through which the ends of the arch-bar lock 31 may be threaded, said arch-bar lock comprises a piece of ligature Wire 32 shaped in the "form of staple or hairpin having legs or prongs 33 extending parallel `from the loop 35 which may be drawn taut over the arch-bar to provide a loclV therefor arranged to retain it. rigidly engaged With said brackets as shown in Fig. 9,

:is shown in llig. 7, the slot or recess Q5 in the bracket 13, opens outwardly from the tooth-band and consequently affords convenient access thereto for the easy manipulation ot the arch-bar With respect thereto.l irrespective oi the shape and position of said arch-bar which is shown engaged in the slot lool; structure shown in Fig. 13, the legs being threaded through the eyes or apertures 50 and pulled in the direction of theirffree extremities to dran' the loop vtaut over the archbar as indicated.

Als shown in Fig. 10, the legs 33 of the loch .structure are turned backwardly to Vlorm the loop retaining bends 36, and in this position the parallel strands of the Wire ligature are twisted together to form iu eil'ect a tourniquet 37 as shown in Fig. 11. and thereby yfurther tighten the loopv 35 and the retaining bends S6.

jrs shown iuF ig. 12, the twisted strand 37 is clipped substantially flush with the outer tace of the arch-har, thereby leaving the outwardly extending retaining prongs S9, of the arch-bar retaining locl: which is more clearly illustrated separately in Fig. let,

My invention. is advantageous in that the brat-left serves asa reiniliorcementaffording a maximum solder attachin0h surface, and provides a uniform three-surizu-e engage-` ment with the archebar, which snugly lits therein, and which may be readily shaped and adjusted to engage therewith. from the outer side thereof.

Furthermore, affords suc-h a positive locking means coinpi-isingtl1e ligature Wire lock, that said arch-bar may be so rigidly engaged with the bracket as to insure an ideal torque power in any desired direction, whereby the movement of thetooth roots either labially or lingually, andthe tipping mesially or distally of the'crown and roots, as Well as the rotation of the tooth, may be effected with equal facility.` In fact, every possible desired movement Yof the teeth may be readilyaccomplished thereby.

Although l have shown and described the tooth-band bracket structure as formed of n y 9, the arch-bar thus `adjusted is engaged by the loop 35 of the the bracket attachment isoY Cil

wire which is cylindrical in cross-section. it is to be understood that said wire may be square or vfiat ribbon-like or any other d esired lorin and, therefore l do not desire to limit my invention to the precise details of construction and arrangement as herein set 'fortln as it is obvious that various modifications be made therein without departing from the essential lfeatures of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention7 l claim:

l. An orthodontic appliance comprising a tooth-band bracket formed oit wire bent to provide an arch-bar receiving recess, and to aliiord apertures disposed upon opposite sides ot said recess.

2. An orthodontic appliance comprising a tooth-band bracket formed ot wire bent into the :form ot a double looped staple and arranged to provide an arch-bar receiving recess between the respective loops.

3. An orthodontic appliance comprising a tooth-band bracket 'formed ot wire bent into the form of a double looped staple having the adjacent legs ot the respect-ive loops joined to atliord an attachment and arranged to provide an arch-ba" receiving recess between said adjacent legs.

4l. A n orthodontic appliance comprising a tooth-band bracket formed of wire bent into the form of a double looped staple having the adjacent legs ot the respective loops joined to afford an attachment arranged to be engaged with a tooth-band, and disposed in a plane with the ends oi' the outermost legs of the staple structure.

An orthodontic appliance comprising a tooth-band bracket tormed of wire bent into the form oi' a double looped staple having the adjacent legs of 'the respective loops joined to provide a bar iattened to aiiord an attachment and arranged to provide an open-sided recess embraced by the flattened bar and said adjacent legs.

(-3. An orthodontic appliance comprising a tooth-band bracket liormed of wire bent into relatively parallel stapleshaped formation ali'ording spaced apertures disposed upon the opposite sides ont an outwardly opened recess arranged to receive an arch-bar.

7. An orthodontic appliance comprising a tooth-band bracket formed of wire bent into relatively parallel staple-shaped formation affording spaced apertures disposed upon the opposite sides oit an outwardly opened recess arranged to receive an arch-bar, and a lock formed of a wire ligature and comprising a loop having prongs extended through said apertures and bent into cooperative engagement with the bracket structure to retain said loop taut over au archha disposed in said recess.

8. an orthodontic appliance comprising a tooth-band provided with an arch-bar attachment comprising a looped wire structure having an arch-bar receiving recess opening outwardly troni said tooth-band and having spaced apertures disposed upon opposite sides ot' said recess, and a lock formed ot ligature wire7 arranged to rigidly retain an arch-bar in said recess9 and comprising a loop having prongs extended through said apertures and bent into cooperative engagement with said attachment to retain the loop ot said ligature wire tautorer said arch-bar.

9. An orthodontic appliance comprising a tooth-band provided with an arch-bar attachment comprising a looped wire structure having an arch-bar receiving recess opening si outwardly from said tooth-band and havin-o' apertures spaced -from the opposite sides ot said recess and extended substantially parallel therewith, and lock formed oiLe wire ligature and shaped to afford a loop arnged to embrace an arch-bar in said res? and having prongs respectively era n led through said apertures, arranged to be bent back and twisted to, in e'l'ltect, alord a tourniquet.

10. Avn orthodontic appliance comprising` a tooth-band bracket comprising a looped wire structure having an arch-bar receiving recess opening outwardly from said toothband, and having lock-receiving guides spaced from said recess upon opposite sides thereol extended in parallel relation therewith, with whichan arch-bar engaging lock may be engaged.

in witness wbereot.j ll. have hereunto set my hand this 9th day of December, A. E., 1925.

EDVVALRD H. ANGLE. 

